US10634858B2 - Optical transceiver - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical transceiver includes a casing, a fastening member, a pivotal member and a driving member. The driving member is disposed on the casing, and the driving member is movable relative to the casing in a press direction. The pivotal member includes a pivoting shaft and a pressed portion connected to each other. The pivoting shaft of the pivotal member is pivoted on the casing. The pressed portion has a pressed point, and a virtual line passing through the pressed portion and the pivoting shaft is non-parallel to the press direction. When the driving member is moved in the press direction to press the pressed point, the pivotal member is pivoted. The fastening member is movably disposed on the casing to be either in a fastened position or a released position. The pivotal member is pivotable to move the fastening member from the fastened position to the released position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 106107127 filed in Taiwan on Mar. 3, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to an optical transceiver, more particularly to a pluggable optical transceiver.

BACKGROUND

Optical transceivers are commonly used in modern high-speed communication networks. Generally, the optical transceivers are pluggable into a receptacle of a communication device, which is beneficial to improve the design flexibility and to perform maintenance. The receptacle is disposed on a circuit board. The XFP (10 Gigabit Small Form Factor Pluggable) and the QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) are standards for the optical transceivers in order to define the electrical and the mechanical interfaces between the optical transceiver and the corresponding receptacle.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an optical transceiver.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides an optical transceiver configured for being plugged into a receptacle having a fastening portion. The disclosed optical transceiver includes a casing, a driving member, a pivotal member and a fastening member. The driving member is disposed on the casing, and is movable with respect to the casing in a press direction. The one pivotal member includes a pivoting shaft and a pressed portion connected to each other. The pivoting shaft of the pivotal member is pivoted on the casing. The pressed portion has a pressed point, and a virtual line passing through the pressed point and the pivoting shaft is not parallel to the press direction. When driving member is moved in the press direction to press the pressed point, the pivotal member is pivoted. The fastening member is movably disposed on the casing to be either in a fastened position or a released position. The pivotal member is pivotable to move the fastening member from the fastened position to the released position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given here in below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical transceiver in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A-5C are partial enlarged cross-sectional views of the optical transceiver inFIG. 4 plugged into a receptacle; and

FIGS. 6A-6B are partial enlarged cross-sectional views of the optical transceiver inFIG. 5C pulled out from the receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Please refer toFIG. 1 toFIG. 4.FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical transceiver in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure.FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 1.FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 2.FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the optical transceiver inFIG. 1. In this embodiment, anoptical transceiver1 is provided. Theoptical transceiver1 includes acasing10, two fastening assemblies and adriving member40. Each of the fastening assemblies includes afastening member20, apivotal member30, arestoring member50 and anelastic member60. However, the amount of the fastening assemblies in the optical transceiver is not restricted. In other embodiments, the optical transceiver may just include one fastening assembly. Theoptical transceiver1 is adaptive to be plugged into a receptacle (e.g., a receptacle2 as shown inFIG. 5A). The receptacle2 has afastening portion21. Thefastening portion21 has twofastening holes22 in this embodiment. It is worth noting that the number of the fastening holes is not limited as the result.

Thecasing10 has abottom surface110 and twoside surfaces120. The twoside surfaces120 are connected to two opposite sides of thebottom surface110. Thebottom surface110 and the twoside surfaces120 together form anaccommodating space130 therebetween. Thecasing10 further has two throughholes140 on thebottom surface110, and theaccommodating space130 is connected to the two throughholes140. The two fastening assemblies respectively correspond to the twofastening holes22 and respectively correspond to the two throughholes140. In this embodiment, thecasing10 includes a top casing (not labeled) and a bottom casing (not labeled), and the bottom casing has thebottom surface110 and theside surfaces120. In other embodiments, however, the casing could be made in one piece.

The fasteningmembers20 are movably disposed in theaccommodating space130 of thecasing10. Thefastening members20 respectively correspond to the throughholes140. In addition, each of thefastening members20 has a guidinginclined surface210.

Thepivotal members30 are pivoted on thecasing10 and located in theaccommodating space130. In detail, eachpivotal member30 includes apivoting shaft310, apressing portion320 and a pressedportion330. Thepivoting shaft310 is located between thepressing portion320 and pressedportion330. Thepivoting shafts310 of thepivotal members30 are respectively pivoted on the twoside surfaces120 of thecasing10. The positions of thepressing portions320 respectively correspond to thefastening members20. In addition, the pressedportions330 of thepivotal members30 each has a pressedpoint331.

The drivingmember40 includes two driving assemblies, and each of the driving assemblies includes an extendingarm410 and abent portion420. The extendingarms410 are movably disposed in theaccommodating space130 of thecasing10. Thebent portions420 are respectively connected to the two ends of the extendingarms410, and respectively correspond to the pressedportions330 of thepivotal members30. The drivingmember40 is movable with respect to thecasing10 in a press direction P (as shown inFIG. 4). The press direction P is substantially orthogonal to a normal direction N of thebottom surface110 of thecasing10. When the drivingmember40 is moved along the press direction P, thebent portions420 could press the pressedportions330 of thepivotal members30 so as to pivot thepivotal members30 with respect to thecasing10. In detail, when thepivotal member30 is pressed by the drivingmember40, the pressedpoints331 on the pressedportions330 are pressed by thebent portions420, and a virtual line L passing through the pressedpoint331 and the pivotingshaft310 of thepivotal member30 is not parallel to the press direction P. Thus, a torque is on the pressedpoint331 to pivot thepivotal member30 when the drivingmember40 presses the pressedportion330. In this embodiment, the drivingmember40 could press the pressedportions330 through point contact, line contact or surface contact. When thepivotal member30 is pivoted with respect to thecasing10 by the drivingmember40, the drivingmember40 forces thepressing portions320 of thepivotal member30 to move thefastening member20 along the normal direction N to be either in a fastened position (as shown inFIG. 4) or a released position (please refer toFIG. 5B).

The restoringmember50 is, for example, a torsion spring. The restoringmember50 is disposed on thepivotal member30. In detail, the restoringmember50 is sleeved on the pivotingshaft310 of thepivotal member30. Afixed end510 of the restoringmember50 is fixed on thecasing10, and apressed end520 of the restoringmember50 corresponds to thefastening member20. When thefastening member20 is in the fastened position, thefastening member20 may be slightly in contact with or not in contact with thepressed end520 of the restoringmember50. When thefastening member20 is in the released position, the restoringmember50 is pressed by thefastening member20 to store elastic energy. The restoringmember50 is able to release the elastic energy to move thefastening member20 from the released position to the fastened position. In this embodiment, thefixed end510 of the restoringmember50 is in contact with theside surface120 of thecasing10, but how and where thefixed end510 is positioned are not therefore limited as the result. In other embodiments, thefixed end510 of the restoringmember50 can be engaged into thebottom surface110 of thecasing10.

Theelastic member60 is, for example, a compression spring. Theelastic member60 is disposed in theaccommodating space130 of thecasing10. In this embodiment, thecasing10 further has two first restrictingsurfaces150, and the extendingarms410 of the drivingmember40 each has a second restrictingsurface411. The second restrictingsurfaces411 of the extendingarms410 respectively face the first restrictingsurfaces150 of thecasing10. Theelastic members60 are disposed between the first restrictingsurfaces150 and the second restricting surfaces411.

Please refer toFIG. 4 and further refer toFIGS. 5A-5C.FIG. 5A toFIG. 5C are partial enlarged cross-sectional views of the optical transceiver inFIG. 4 plugged into the receptacle. As shown inFIG. 4, thefastening member20 is in the fastened position. Thefastening member20 protrudes through the throughhole140 of thecasing10, and thebent portion420 of the drivingmember40 faces the pressedportion330 of thepivotal member30. At this moment, thepressing portion320 of thepivotal member30 may have no pressure on thefastening member20.

Then, as shown inFIG. 5A andFIG. 5B, theoptical transceiver1 is plugged into the receptacle2, and the guidinginclined surface210 of thefastening member20 is pressed by an edge of the receptacle2. Due to the guidinginclined surface210, thefastening member20 is able to be moved from the fastened position to the released position by moving thecasing10. While thefastening member20 is moved from the fastened position to the released position, the restoringmember50 is pressed by thefastening member20 to store the elastic energy. When thefastening member20 is in the released position, thefastening member20 does not block the receptacle2, allowing for thecasing10 be plugged into the receptacle2 smoothly.

Then, as shown inFIG. 5C, thecasing10 moves until thefastening hole22 of thefastening portion21 is aligned with the throughhole140. At this moment, the restoringmember50 releases its elastic energy to move thefastening member20 to penetrate through the throughhole140 and thefastening hole22. In such a case, thefastening member20 is fastened to thefastening portion21 of the receptacle2, completing the insertion of theoptical transceiver1.

Then, please refer toFIG. 6A andFIG. 6B, theoptical transceiver1 is able to be pulled out with the pull of thehandle70.FIG. 6A andFIG. 6B are partial enlarged cross-sectional views of the optical transceiver inFIG. 5C pulled out from the receptacle. As shown inFIG. 6A, the drivingmember40 is moved along the press direction P by the pull of thehandle70. While the drivingmember40 is moved along the press direction P, thebent portion420 of the drivingmember40 presses the pressedportion330 of thepivotal member30 so as to produce a torque to pivot thepivotal member30 with respect to thecasing10. While thepivotal member30 is pivoted, thepressing portion320 of thepivotal member30 moves thefastening member20 from the fastened position to the released position. When thefastening member20 is moved to the released position, thefastening member20 is removed from thefastening hole22 of thefastening portion21, allowing for thecasing10 to be pulled out from the receptacle2 along the press direction P. In addition, when thefastening member20 is in the released position, the restoringmember50 stores the elastic energy because thepressed end520 is pressed by thefastening member20. On the other hand, when the drivingmember40 is moved along the press direction P, the second restrictingsurface411 is moved closer to the first restrictingsurface150 of thecasing10 to compress theelastic member60. Theelastic member60 stores elastic energy when being compressed.

As shown inFIG. 6B, thecasing10 is pulled out from the receptacle2. In such a case, when thehandle70 is released, theelastic member60 can release its elastic energy to move the drivingmember40 in the opposite direction and cause thebent portion420 to stop pressing the pressedportion330 of thepivotal member30. At this moment, the restoringmember50 releases its elastic energy to move thefastening member20 back to the fastened position to penetrate through the throughhole140.

To ensure that thefastening member20 could be moved to the fastened position, thefastening member20 should be well in contact with the restoringmember50 while it is in the released position. Please refer toFIG. 3, the sides of thefastening members20 close to the restoringmembers50 each has anaccommodating slot220. When thefastening members20 press the restoringmembers50, the pressed ends520 of the restoringmembers50 are positioned in theaccommodating slots220 to ensure that thefastening members20 and the restoringmembers50 are well in contact with each other.

Further, as shown inFIG. 3 andFIG. 4, each of thefastening members20 includes a protrudingedge230, The protrudingedge230 protrudes in a direction which is substantially orthogonal to the moving direction (i.e., the normal direction N of thebottom surface110 of the casing10) of thefastening member20. When thefastening member20 is in the fastened position, the protrudingedge230 and thebottom surface110 are in tight contact with each other, which is beneficial to prevent the electromagnetic interference (EMI) from affecting electronic components in theoptical transceiver1 and electronic devices around the receptacle2 when it is plugged into the receptacle2.

Moreover, as shown inFIG. 3,FIG. 4 andFIG. 6A, thecasing10 further has a stoppingsurface160. When thefastening member20 is moved to the released position, the drivingmember40 presses against the stoppingsurface160, such that the stoppingsurface160 could stop the extendingarm410 of the drivingmember40 from moving along the press direction P in order to prevent the drivingmember40 from being damaged when the drivingmember40 is pulled too hard.

According to the optical transceiver as discussed above, while the pivotal member is pressed by the driving member, because the virtual line passing through the pressed point of the pivotal member and the pivoting shaft of the pivotal member is not parallel to the press direction of the driving member, a torque is produced on the pressed point to pivot the pivotal member with respect to the casing and to force the pivotal member to move the fastening member from the fastened position to the released position. Thus, the fastening member can be engaged with or disengaged from the fastening portion in a fast and efficient manner, rendering more convenient the use of the optical transceiver.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (11)

What is claimed is:

1. An optical transceiver, configured for being plugged into a receptacle having a fastening portion, comprising:

a casing comprising top and bottom casings, the bottom casing to slidably couple with a surface of the receptacle that supports the casing when inserted into the receptacle, the bottom casing having a bottom surface and side surfaces that extend from the bottom surface and together form an accommodation space therebetween, and wherein the top casing is configured couple to the side surfaces opposite the bottom surface to at least partially enclose the accommodation space;

a driving member, disposed on the casing, and the driving member movable with respect to the casing in a press direction;

a pivotal member, comprising a pivoting shaft and a pressed portion connected to each other, the pivoting shaft of the pivotal member pivoted on the casing and having an axis of rotation that extends substantially parallel with a bottom surface of the casing, the pressed portion having a pressed point, the press direction not parallel to a virtual line passing through the pressed point and the pivoting shaft; wherein when the driving member is moved in the press direction to press the pressed point the pivotal member is pivoted; and

a fastening member movably disposed on the bottom casing to be either in a fastened position or a released position; wherein the pivotal member is pivotable to move the fastening member towards the top casing to transition from the fastened position to the released position.

2. The optical transceiver according toclaim 1, further comprising a restoring member disposed on the pivotal member and fastened to the casing, wherein when the fastening member is in the released position, the restoring member is pressed by the fastening member to store elastic energy for moving the fastening member from the released position to the fastened position.

3. The optical transceiver according toclaim 2, wherein the restoring member is a torsion spring.

4. The optical transceiver according toclaim 2, wherein a side of the fastening member close to the restoring member has an accommodating slot and a part of the restoring member is located in the accommodating slot when the restoring member is pressed by the fastening member.

5. The optical transceiver according toclaim 1, wherein the press direction is substantially orthogonal to a normal direction of the bottom surface of the casing.

6. The optical transceiver according toclaim 5, further comprising an elastic member, wherein the casing further has a first restricting surface, the driving member has a second restricting surface, the first restricting surface faces the second restricting surface, and the elastic member is disposed between the first restricting surface and the second restricting surface.

7. The optical transceiver according toclaim 5, wherein the casing further has a stopping surface and the driving member presses against the stopping surface when the fastening member is in the released position.

8. The optical transceiver according toclaim 1, wherein the number of the fastening members is, and the number of the pivotal members is two, the two fastening members are respectively disposed on the side surfaces of the casing, and the two pivotal members are respectively pivoted on the side surfaces of the casing.

9. The optical transceiver according toclaim 1, wherein the fastening portion has a fastening hole, the bottom surface of the casing has a through hole, and when the fastening member is in the fastened position, the fastening member protrudes through the through hole and the fastening hole so as to be fastened to the fastening portion of the receptacle.

10. The optical transceiver according toclaim 9, wherein the fastening member has a protruding edge protruding in a direction which is substantially orthogonal to an moving direction of the fastening member and the protruding edge presses against the bottom surface of the casing when the fastening member is in the fastened position.

11. The optical transceiver according toclaim 1, wherein the fastening member has a guiding inclined surface, and the guiding inclined surface is adaptive to press against an edge of the receptacle.

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